Improvement in rockets



28heets-Sheet l.

J. H. s. HOOPER.

Rockets.

Patented Oct. 9

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. H. s. HOOPER. Rockets.

Patented Oct. 9, 1877.

IN PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

PA'rn JAMES H. S. HOOPER, OF DU LWIOH, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN,- ROCKETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 196,0.1 9, dated October- 9, 1877 application filed May 22, 1877. I

To all whom itmay concern;

- Be it. known that .1, JAMES. HUMPHREY SINGLETON HooPER, R. N., of Sunny Croft, Groxted Road, Dulwich, in the county of Sun rey, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rockets for Saving Life and used in connection therewith, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawin This invention has reference to those rock.-

ets known asthe Hale rocket 5 and consists of improvements 1n the means and apparatus for adapting such rockets to life-saving and other useful purposes.

The object of these improvements is to more readily carry out a line to a shipwrecked or stranded vessel with certainty and at any angle, according to the distance or height at which it is desired to throw the-rocket, and may be used as a means. of communication, and for other useful purposes.

To carry .out my improvements I; insert through the center of the flange or tail piece of the Hale rocket a small iron, steel, or other metal spindle,'with a head'to' it, the'head being for the purpose of resting on a circular bearing, for the purpose of retaining the spindle in position, made in the interior, of the flange or tailpiece. The action of the spindle working on this bearing is what I call my first swivel. To the end of this pin or. small spindle, which projects beyond the end of the flange or tail-piece, I attach a swivel-bow or other mechanical equivalent being capable of rotation, and this I call the second swivel, thus making a complete double swivel, to which is attached a short length of chain. The swivel and chain being both clear of the rear fire, I can, without burning, attach any description of line.

And in order that my said invention may be properly understood and carried into efiect, I will now proceed to describe the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, and

' to the letters and figures marked thereon.

Figure 1 represents an external view of rocket known as a Hale rocket, and shows my improvements attached thereto. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same,

Fig. 3 represents a transverse section through the tail-piece or rotator on the line C D. other Useful Purposes, and in the apparatus To carry out these improvements I insert (for about half its length) through the center or.- longitudinal axis of the tail-piece or rotator jfa spindle-or bolt, n, with a collar or .head, 0, atthat end of it which is within the jtail-piece or rotator j. This tail-piece or rotator is recessed to receive the collar or head of the spindle or bolt n, so that the under side of the collar or heado bears against the shoulfderp, formed by the recess in the tail-piece or rotator j, by which arrangement, though the spindle or bolt a is retained in its position in j rotatorj, and securely held within the same by the collar or head 0, so that it cannot be withdrawn, yet it is perfectly free to turn or rotate on its own axis, (after the well-known manner lofa journal in its bearing,) and this I call, from its having such rotary action aboutv its axis, my first swivel. Further, to that end of thissame spindle or bolt awhich projects beyond the tail-piece or rotatorj, I attach anon dinary swivel-bow or shackle, q, free to turn or rotate on the aforesaid bolt 12, but securely retained to the same by the nut r on the screwed end of the spindle or .bolt n. This nut is also further secured from'unscrewin g by the cross-pin s passing through the same.

The second swivel (bow) works on the steel bolt in a recess, q, cut in the rear of tail-piece. The swivel is therefore safely protected from the backfire injuring its working-faces. This last-described swivel-bow q (or shackle free to turn on its axis) I call my second swivel, and to it is attached a small length of chain, t, to

the end of which is fastened one end of the rope or cord to be carried out.

It will be seen by this combination of parts which I have adopted the greatest liberty is given to the rocket to rotate on its axis free from any impeding action to such rotation by the rope attached as is experienced in the stick-rocket at present in use, and to supersede which is one of the real objects of thisinvention for in my method the whole of the parts, both of the rocket proper and also the double swivel, as well as the chain itself, is equally balanced about the axis of rotation, and therefore these parts do not impede the equal action of rotation, nor tend to cause the rocket to deviate from its true path of flight.

By the double-swivel action of my inven tion I effectually guard against the danger of one swivel not acting, for should one of them cease to act, there is still the other swivel, which is perfectly capable of performing all that is required, so that the first or the second swivel may severally perform apart from any assistance from the other its proper office of permitting the rocket to rotate without itself or chain attachment and rope rotating; or they (the swivels) both may share more or less equally between them their functions, thus insuring in my case a perfect swivel-action between the rocket proper and the rope.

The c. vity at the back of the head 0 of the bolt 12 is plugged with a plug, u, which pro tects the bolt from damage. This plug a is made parallel, and the head a is eoned, thereby diverting the fire into the flange-holes more readily, and the shoulder under the head, in conjunction with the tightfit, when resting on a similar circular bearing to that on which the bolt-head it rests, effectually secures the head of the bolt n from damage while the combustion of the composition a is going on in the case a during the flight'of the rocket, the space between the two bearings being filled with tallow.

Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of the stand from which the rocket is fired, and Fig. 6 the back end view of the same to a larger scale.

This stand consists of two pieces, 12 and 'v,

of wood, iron, or other suitable material,

(when of the first-mentioned substance they are covered with thin sheet-iron,) fastened together parallel to each other, with their upper surfaces inclined to one another about one hundred and sixty degrees, or thereabout. These pieces v c are connected, at three or more places, by semicircular-bands or hoops w, of iron or other suitable material, which bridge from the outside of one piece, '1, to the outside of the other piece, 42. The near sides of these pieces 1; and c are placed at such a distance apart that the chain t and rope 00, connected to the tail of the rocket, may be able to freely'pass between them without any danger of its being caught by the sides.

The stand is supported at the front end by two double-jointed legs, y, with spikes at their extremities or bases, and is supported at the rear end by two shorter legs, 2, of iron or other material. There is a small projection, z, on one of the pieces 12 and c, for the rear end of the rocket to rest against when it is fired, which is performed by a slow match or fuse.

Another advantage of my invention is, that the improvements adopted are very light and portable, and require but a simple stand (already described) to fire from, thus doing away with the complicated machinery at present in use with the stick life-saving boxer or other rocket.

Having thus described the value and object of my said invention, I claim 1. The combination, with the Hale rocket, of a swivel, to which the line is attached, secured to the tail-piece of said rocket, whereby the line is carried without being twisted by the rotation of the rocket, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the tail-piece j, of the bolt a, rotating freely in said tail-piece, and the swivel q, secured to the end of the said bolt, constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown.

3. The combination, with the tail-piece of the plug u, having a conical head, a, for pro teeting the swivel-bolt and diverting the fire into the flange-holes, constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown.

JAMES HUMPHREY SINGLETON HOOPER.

Witnesses GEO. DOWNING, Gno. Forums. 

